El Salvador – a small country in South America with a massive gang problem – is cracking down on its gangsters.
The country’s Attorney General has just issued around 300 arrest warrants for gang members suspected of ‘terrorist acts’.
El Salvador has one of the worst gang problems in the world, with one of the highest murder rates to boot.
During a truce between two of the biggest gangs, Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18, the murder rate dropped by a massive 40 per cent. But as soon as the truce fell apart the murder rates skyrocketed again.
Attorney General Luis Martinez has said the gangs have overstepped a line and need to be stopped.
He said:
They attack the police and prosecutors, they intimidate the population and force people to leave their homes.
This year alone 41 police officers, 12 soldiers and a prosecutor have been assassinated by the gangs.
The general population don’t fare much better, in August so far, 24 civilians have been killed per day.
The arrest warrants are in relation to an incident last month, where gang members shut down public transport by ordering drivers to go on strike, in an attempt to pressurise the government into including them in talks on how to reduce urban violence.
They killed at least seven drivers who didn’t comply.
Nice guys.
